Winchester Rising
by ClockworkDucky
Summary: Pre Series. A collection of stories from the Winchester boys' unusual childhood. Featuring young Sam and Dean.
1. Angels and Demons - 1

**Disclaimer** : This story is based on characters and situations created by Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. Television. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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The sandwich was tasteless - soggy bread and indeterminate meat. He supposed that that would be an apt description of his life now as well. The aftermath of love.

He had wanted a boring love, the kind that's never talked about. But what he got was this; this love irrevocably programmed into his biological code. He'd really thought that he had finally found his place in the world with Katie and Mark. But she had left, taking her son with her.

His fault of course. No getting around that. He was careless just that once. Just that once did he make a mistake and now, here he sat tucked away in a lonely part of a park with a soggy sandwich.

The bush next to him rustled. He turned in time to see a mop of shaggy brown hair, and a pair of small arms pushing the branches aside. The boy lost his balance and fell on the ground with a muffled 'ooof'.

He watched with a stirring of interest as the boy sat up, attempting to dust the mud off his knees with his muddy hands, streaking even more mud on his khaki shorts.

'Are you all right?'

The boy looked at him through his fringe, hazel eyes catching the green of his shirt. He couldn't have been more than 5 but he had an unsettlingly steady gaze.

He felt a frisson go down his spine. He almost shivered. 'What's your name?', he heard himself ask.

'What's yours?' asked the boy with a tone that matched his eyes.

'Dave.'

The boy cocked his head, 'Is that your actual _actual_ name?'

The man called Dave sucked in a breath. It wasn't, but what an interesting child. 'Yes, it is. Why do you ask?'

The boy considered him. 'Because Dean says you can have many names.'

Dave smiled his warm smile, the one that crinkled his eyes and put deep grooves on his cheeks. He spoke with his priest voice, 'Dean sounds smart. Is he your friend?'

Dave was rewarded with a baby toothed smile and dimples. 'Dean's my big brother and he knows _everything_!'

'Oh wow. You're so lucky,' Dave said and the boy nodded happily. 'So how many names does Dean have?'

'Dean? Hmmm…Dean is Dean. But Daddy has lots!' The boy spread his arms out to indicate the vastness of Daddy's lots of names. 'Dean said Daddy only uses his actual _actual_ name with special people. Like Dean and me.'

Dave smiled wider. Daddy sounded…complicated. The ancient look was gone, or at least temporarily missing from the boy. 'And who's me exactly? You haven't told me your name.'

The boy paused and Dave held his breath. Then he smiled and said 'Sam'

Dave tried saying his name, rolling the name on his tongue. He tried it again, liking the feel of Sam. And once again to seal it in.

Sam chortled behind his hands. 'Why are you saying it like that? Don't you know any Sams? Dean says there are a million _million_ Sams!'

Dave said with complete honesty, 'Oh, but I don't know this Sam.' He was enchanted. So much like a normal child but with crispness to his speech and a keenness that was so very rare. He put his hand out. 'Nice to meet you, Sam.'

Sam walked forward, rubbing his grubby hands on his grubbier shorts before putting his hand in Dave's much larger one. The smile was traded in favour of a serious look benefitting the solemnity of the occasion. 'Nice to meet you, Dave,' he said with grave brown-green mosaic eyes.

The frisson was now a pool of heat in his gut. Dave couldn't help himself. Even though he knew it was too soon, he brushed Sam's fringe of his face, fingers memorising the texture. This close he could smell the mud and the child sweat and _Sam_. It'd been so long after Mark and he thought he'd never feel this again.

Something must have showed on his face because Sam was giving him a curious look, his hand still in Dave's. Dave let his hand go with regret but he didn't want to mess this up and Sam was obviously an intelligent child.

'Are you here with your Daddy and Dean?'

Sam shook his head. 'Uncle Mitch and Dean.'

'Oh Uncle Mitch, huh? So where is Uncle Mitch now?'

Sam shrugged. 'Uncle Mitch said he needed to pick something up. He said he'd be back. Dean says he's an idiot.'

 _Interesting_. Dave leaned a little closer, 'And Dean?'

The toothy smile again. 'We're playing cops and robbers! Dean supposed to catch me!' Sam paused as a thought occurred to him. He glanced over his shoulder. 'Dean told me not to go too far…I should go back. He'll get mad.'

Dave almost grabbed his hand. _Oh no no Sam, you can't leave so soon. '_ Yes, I see. That makes sense. You shouldn't make Dean mad.' Sam nodded and as he moved to turn, Dave said casually, 'Well, you could wait for him here. You wouldn't want to get lost.'

Sam's mouth curved into an O and Dave clenched his hands by his side. 'Oh right,' Sam said, 'Dean did say that if I got lost I should stay where I am and he would come get me!' He frowned, 'Or find a policeman. Or a mommy.'

Dave spread his hands. 'I'm not a policeman or a 'mommy', but you could wait here with me.' Dave winked. 'I'm safe, I promise. I'm sure Dean will be happier if you're waiting with me instead of alone.' He patted the seat next to him. He usually had candy but with everything with Mark and Katie, he had forgotten. He must be slipping in his old age. The thought made him smile. Almost.

Either way, Sam didn't look like he'd be impressed with mere candy. ' You can tell me more about Dean as we wait. He sounds like _such_ a good brother'.

Sam's face lit up and he happily clambered up on the bench. Dave did smile then.


	2. Angels and Demons - 2

Dean Winchester couldn't find Sam. _Please! Please! Please God!_ He wanted to cry but he pushed his panic down. It was his job to keep him safe. His one job and he failed. Again. He _couldn't ._ Not after the incident with the shtriga. He couldn't do this again. _Think! Think!_

Of course it was stupid idea to play cops and robbers but Sammy was so bored and so insistent. How could he have been so stupid?! And of course that dick Mitch had to drop them off at the freaking park! Because that's what children do right? Hang out at parks? _Shit!_ Dean had asked him to drop them off at the motel. Where _did_ Dad find these freaks?!

Dean paused in his frantic search for Sam. _Relax! Relax! Think!_ He gnawed his knuckles as he went through what his dad had taught him about tracking again. Bile threatened to rise, he'd already done this. _Again!_ He took a deep breath and went through it again. And again.

He walked back to where he had started. He looked at his watch - 12 minutes. A lot could have happened in 12 minutes. Sam could be dead - _no. Don't go there._

Dean looked around absorbing the details the way his father taught him. How far could a six year old have gone? _Sammy's a runner so factor that in. Think!_ What were Sam's patterns when he played this game? His favourite places in parks? Sam was an uncannily sneaky, little creature but he still had his 'tells'. Dean as the older, more experienced brother should be able to figure it out. _What would Sammy do?_

Dean closed his eyes for a moment and pictured the park in his mind. He opened his eyes. _Again._


	3. Angels and Demons - 3

The grave look was back on Sam's face and damn if it didn't make him strain his pants. He linked their hands together and leaned in to breathe Sam in. Sam jerked his head back before he could kiss his hair.

Dave felt Sam try to pull his hand out and held firm. Sam paused, the steady look faltering. 'Daddy said I shouldn't let anyone except Uncle Bobby and Dean get too close.' _Daddy._ More than _Dean_. Sam's voice conveyed the gravitas of that edict.

Dave sighed silently. He hated it when things got messy. Just _hated_ it. But he couldn't let Sam go. Oh no, not after what he'd seen of the boy. He was an absolute delight. More than Mark. More than anyone. He'd never felt this before - not this sort of incandescent..what else..love. It could only be love - this _feeling_ , this madness. He tried explaining 'Oh but Sam', he breathed against his perfect shell-like ear, 'I love you. Like Dean. Like your Daddy'.

Sam strained away from him. 'No!' His voice was louder and panicked.

Dave put his hands on Sam's knees brushing away the mud, his thumb rubbing the skin under the hem of his shorts. ' I really, really _love_ you, you know. More than Dean. More than your Daddy. Because you're so _perfect_.'

Sam opened his mouth to scream and Dave's hand was almost over his mouth to cut him off, when the side of his face exploded in pain. He let go of Sam involuntarily and Sam was off the bench like a shot, running.

Through the haze of pain, he heard someone yell, 'Sammy!' and an answering 'Dean!'

Dave wiped the blood of his face and turned to face a young boy holding Sam. Had he thrown a _rock_ at him? He looked about Mark's age but his eyes were cold and ancient. Dave started towards them but he was stopped in his tracks when the boy - Dean - pulled out a wicked curved knife. He kept Sam behind him with his other hand. 'Listen you _freak,_ come any closer and I'll stick this in your throat', he snarled. The voice was boyish, but the menace in his tone was the last thing you'd expect to hear from a child. Dave's stomach clenched with what he realised, to his horror, was fear. _Afraid of a child?_

Dave heard himself babbling, _'_ You don't understand. It's not what you think. No..no..it's not like that. I love him. Don't you see?! I love him! It's love! Everyone deserves to love! To be loved! _I deserve to be loved_!'

Dean's face twisted with contempt but when he spoke it was in a conversational tone that was somehow was even more chilling. ' You know, this is the khukri of the Gurkha warriors', he said gesturing to the knife in his hand. The man called Dave stood frozen; eyes not moving from the glint of the blade.

Dean continued like he was talking about the weather. 'They say you should always draw blood when you unsheathe the khukri. To not do so is to dishonour the gods.'

Dave swallowed painfully in the pause. If the fear wasn't crippling his mind, he would have been embarrassed by his trembling.

'We're going to go now and if you so much as blink, so help me, you filthy son of a bitch.'

Dave watch Dean has he slowly backed away, Sam firmly in hand. By the time they had disappeared from view, Dave was slumped on the ground, his jellied legs no longer able to support him.

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A/N : I'm sure most, if not all, of you recognised the 'I deserve to be loved' line that Crowley said at the end of Season 8. 'Dave' is not not Crowley or a 'demon' but a monster nevertheless.


	4. Angels and Demons - 4

When John Winchester got back to the motel, he wasn't surprised to see Dean waiting up for him, cleaning the guns in the kitchenette. He could see Sam sleeping on the bed, arms thrown out, sheets twisted around his waist.

He put his bag on the counter and asked unnecessarily, 'Sammy asleep?' He didn't expect the look on Dean's face when he finally looked at John. 'Dean. What's wrong, son?', he asked reaching out to put his hand on his shoulder.

'Don't touch me! _Don't!_ ' Dean hissed, slapping his hand away furiously. John watched as his oldest son struggled for composure. 'I..today..Sammy..' His voice wavered and he tried again, jaw clenched against the tears, 'I took care of it this time. _OK?_ I took care of it'.

John gathered his son into a hug, Dean's body stiff and unyielding. He whispered 'I'm _sorry_. I'm so sorry, Dean.' He heard Dean take in a shuddering breath and collapse into the hug. He screamed silently into John's jacket.

By the time Dean had got the whole sordid story out, John was shaking with fury and relief. He could help asking over and over again, 'Is Sammy all right? Are you sure Sammy is all right?'

He should have asked Dean ' _and you? are you all right?'_ but looking at Dean's pale face over a table of dissembled guns, he found he couldn't get the words past his lips.

Instead he said, 'You did good, Dean. You did good protecting your brother'. He ruffled his hair. 'Let's see what we can do to get you a gun small enough for you wear concealed'

Dean gave him a wan smile. 'I'm still keeping the khukri though.'


End file.
